VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers won a playoff round last spring, began Round 2 with an overtime victory, then lost their last four games.

To an older team, that might have been deflating.

To them, it has become a challenge.

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“I just think the experience was huge,” Wayne Simmonds said Friday. “We probably had the team with the most rookies in the whole league. And our young guys, I thought, played the best in the playoffs. I think that experience helps a lot. I think it was very valuable.

“Hopefully, we can keep rolling, make the playoffs again this year, and that experience will show.”

Simmonds, 24, was back at the SkateZone after spending some of the lockout playing in Europe. So was Couturier, 20, and Brayden Schenn, 21, who had been remaining active with the AHL Phantoms.

All were critical in helping the Flyers defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 of the last postseason. But of them, only Schenn scored a goal — and just one — in the five-game Round 2 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

As the Flyers prepare for the official opening of training camp Sunday — and a 48-game blur of a short season to follow — they hope to have been hardened by the dual postseason experiences. They know what it takes to win a round … and that it takes even more to win another.

“I think the whole year was an experience for me,” Couturier said. “And I think a lot of the young guys learned a lot from last year. We realize we have to do better this time, and move on.”

In a small way, that was the deal last offseason when Paul Holmgren remade his roster with a slant toward youth. Even if some of the more established Flyers he would trade away would help the Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup, he would have a younger core for a longer-term push toward fulfillment.

The bonus AHL experience for Schenn and Couturier this season could prove to have been another benefit.

“I think it was real important to go down there and play in all kinds of situations — penalty-killing, last minute of the game, power play, five-on-three,” Schenn said. “For us guys to be down there, we should have a jump start on some of these other guys.”

In a season where there will be few nights off, there should be a value to young players with practical experience. In that, the Flyers feel they have the right combination.

“I think our team is pretty good,” Simmonds said. “Obviously, we have a couple of new additions. But for the most part, we all played together last year. Hopefully, we can all pick up where we left off last year and keep going.

“We are going to work hard this week. I am guessing we are all going to do more drills to get ready for the season. We are all excited to get started.”

Last season, the starting was one thing. The finishing, though? Don’t ask.

“We found out pretty quickly that you can beat a good team one round, but you have to prepare quickly to face the next one,” Schenn said. “There are momentum swings in the playoffs, and you learn a lot. Obviously, you play in the playoffs in juniors and stuff, but that doesn’t even compare to the Stanley Cup playoffs.